Fighting back tears throughout the second day of his testimony in Pretoria, the six-time Paralympic champion spoke for the first time about the moments leading up to the death of Reeva Steenkamp.

He told the court he had got out of bed to bring in fans from outside in the early hours of February 14 last year, when he heard a window opening in the bathroom and thought there was a burglar.

"I whispered to Reeva to get down and phone the police," he said.

Without his prosthetic legs, he said he started screaming and shouted for Steenkamp to get to the floor.

"I heard a noise from inside the toilet, what I perceived to be someone coming out of the toilet," said Pistorius.

"Before I knew it, I had fired four shots at the door."

Aimee Pistorius, Oscar's sister, hugs a family member on another emotionally wrought day ©Getty Images





Three of those shots hit his 29-year-old girlfriend.

The South African told the court: "Whilst I leant over the partition to get in, I saw the key, so I took it and I unlocked the door, and I flung the door open, and I threw it open."

Sobbing, he added: "And I sat over Reeva and I cried...I don't know how long...I don't know how long I was there for...She wasn't breathing."

As the 27-year-old broke down, the court was adjourned for the day.

Pistorius denies deliberately killing Steenkamp in his home in Pretoria, insisting he thought she was an intruder.

Yesterday, as the defence case began after a 10-day break in proceedings, he spoke of the impact the events of Valentine's Day last year has had on him.

He said he has been taking antidepressants and sleeping pills, and often has to ring his sister in the middle of the night for comfort.

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